FORT WORTH, Texas – The Rams travel to Waxahachie on Friday evening to face the Jarvis Christian College Bulldogs in the semi-finals of the Red River Conference men’s basketball tournament. The game tips-off at 7:30 PM, and will be the first time since 1983 that the Wesleyan men’s basketball team has played in a conference tournament semi-final game.

“It’s great to be back in the NAIA and to have a chance to play for a championship,” said head coach Terry Waldrop. “We’re excited about the upcoming weekend and hope we can keep advancing.”

To do so, the Rams will need to beat a higher seed. Wesleyan, the third seed, enters Friday’s contest with a record of 21-11, 13-7 in conference play. Jarvis is just 16-15 overall, but is seeded second thanks to a 14-6 conference record. The two teams have faced each other twice this season already, with each team winning once. The Rams won 78-67 in Hawkins on December 14, and lost 85-96 at home on February 6. This time, however, more is at stake. The winner of the conference tournament will get an automatic bid to the NAIA national tournament, held March 26-April 1 in Kansas City, Kansas.

It is possible, though, to get a bid to nationals without winning the tournament. Houston Baptist University, ranked #1 in the NAIA, has already received a bid by virtue of winning the RRAC regular season. If they win the conference tournament as well, then the team they beat in the final game will receive the other automatic bid. That means Wesleyan just has to beat Jarvis Christian and hope HBU defeats Langston University in Friday’s other semi-final game.

Here is a look at this weekend’s tournament schedule:

Friday:
Semi-final Game 1 – Houston Baptist University vs. Langston University (5:30 PM)
Semi-final Game 2 – Texas Wesleyan University vs. Jarvis Christian College (7:30 PM)
Saturday:
Finals – Winner of game 1 vs. winner of game 2 (7:00 PM)

All three games this weekend will be played at the Waxahachie High School gymnasium, located at 1000 N Hwy. 77 in Waxahachie. To get there from Fort Worth, take highway 287 south approximately 35 miles to Waxahachie. Exit on highway 77 and turn right. The school will be a few blocks down. For a more detailed map, click here.

Check back frequently on The Rams Online for game updates and other information.